2 Peter 3:9 - Meaning and Application

We are told here that the Lord is not slow. He does not delay beyond the time he has set. As God kept the exact time he had fixed for bringing Israel out of Egypt, down to the day (Exodus 12:41), so he will keep the time he has appointed for judging the world.

There is a big difference between how God counts time and how people do. Good people often think God is late, meaning late by the timetable they have set for their own rescue or for the church’s relief. But they set one time and God sets another, and he will keep the day he has chosen. Ungodly people are even bolder. They accuse God of careless delay, as if he had forgotten his promise or put off his coming.

But the apostle tells us that what people call slowness is really patience, and patience toward us. God is giving more time to his own people, those he chose before the world began, many of whom are not yet converted. Even those already in grace and favor with God still need to grow in knowledge, holiness, faith, patience, and good works. They must do and endure what he calls them to do, so they bring glory to God and become more ready for heaven.

God is not willing that any of these should perish, but that all of them should come to repentance. Repentance means a true turning from sin to God, and it is absolutely necessary for salvation (Luke 13:3, 5). God takes no pleasure in the death of sinners. Since punishment is painful for his creatures, a merciful God does not delight in it.

God’s main purpose in delaying judgment is the blessedness of those he has chosen to save, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and belief in the truth. Even so, his goodness and patience in themselves call all people to repent. If people remain unrepentant while God gives them time, he will deal more severely with them. Yet the main reason he has not hurried the day is that he has not yet brought in the full number of his elect. Do not misuse God’s patience by turning to ungodliness. Do not go boldly on in sin or sit safely in an unconverted state, like the servant who said, “My master is delayed” (Matthew 24:48), lest he come and find you unready.

The day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night (2 Peter 3:10). This day is certain, even though many centuries have passed since this letter was written. God has fixed a day when he will judge the world in righteousness, and he will keep that appointment. It is appointed for people to die once, and after that comes judgment (Hebrews 9:27). Let this be settled in your heart: the day of the Lord will surely come, and you will surely give account of everything done in the body, whether good or evil.

The day will also come suddenly. A thief comes when people are asleep and secure, with no idea he is near. In the same way, the Lord will come at a time when men do not expect him, and at an hour when they are not watching. At midnight there was a cry, “Look, the bridegroom is coming” (Matthew 25:6), and then even the wise virgins were found sleeping. So we should be careful not to push that day far away in our minds. The farther off it seems to sinful people, the nearer we should think it is.

This coming will also be solemn and awe-inspiring. The heavens will pass away with a great noise. The visible heavens, unable to remain as they are when the Lord comes in glory, will undergo a mighty change, and the breaking apart of such a vast structure will be heard. The elements will melt with intense heat. It will not only be a stormy scene around him, with the heavens passing away in violence, but fire will go before him and melt the very elements that make up the world.

The earth, and everything done on it, will be burned up. The earth, its inhabitants, and all its works will be destroyed. Palaces, gardens, and every attractive thing in which worldly people place their happiness will be burned up. Every kind of creature and every work of human hands must give way. All must pass through fire, a consuming fire for everything sin has brought into the world, though for the works of God’s hand it may be a refining fire. Then the creation, made brighter, will show the glory of the Lord more clearly to the saints.

Who can help noticing the great difference between Christ’s first coming and his second? Even the first is called “the great and dreadful day of the Lord” (Malachi 4:5). How much more terrible must this coming in judgment be! May we be wise enough to prepare for it, so it will not be a day of destruction and judgment for us.

What will become of us if we set our hearts on this earth and make it our treasure, when all these things will be burned up? Let us look beyond this visible world and make sure of a happiness that cannot be melted down.